Published: Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 4:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 4:16 p.m.

A year ago, Scott Wallace “made a mistake” and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. He says he's learned a hard lesson. He lost his job of five years, lost his car and then his house. He came to stay at the Hendersonville Rescue Mission about nine months ago.

He stood quietly smiling in the mission's kitchen Thursday morning, watching a host of volunteers fill plates of turkey, cranberries, yams and dressing. In the past 12 months he's lost a lot, but on Thursday he had much to praise.

There was a lot to be thankful for at the mission Thursday. The staff was thankful for volunteers, who offered to give them a day off to be with family. The volunteers were grateful for the chance to serve. And the honored guests for the day's feast gave thanks for much more: a delicious meal and a warm bed in a place of hope that offered the chance of a better tomorrow.

“A year ago… if you would have told me that I would come here and meet friends, I never would have believed you,” Wallace said. Now, he thanks God for the friends he found at the mission.

“They've been really good to me here,” he said. Wallace has worked with a caseworker to line up a new home he should be in soon.

“It's a very good atmosphere… a Christian atmosphere,” he said; a good place to be “when you have no place to go…

“There's a lot of camaraderie here and fellowship. Everybody has their own different lives, but we're all in the same boat,” he said.

It's a boat Carol Lacy found herself in for the first time almost two months ago when she made the hard decision to walk away from a troubled relationship.

She was living with her boyfriend, and the two argued constantly. “I just told him, I'd rather be homeless than to have to deal with this anymore. My mom actually looked this place up for me,” she said. “She told me I could come here. I fought it at first. But ever since I stopped fighting it, it's an awesome place. They really do help everyone so much. They will do anything to help anybody out… They went above and beyond for me.”

Lacy will start a new job Friday. She is going to school to get her CNA license and will soon move into transitional housing. There was a lot to give thanks for Thursday.

Herman Miller, originally of Horry County, S.C., has been homeless on-and-off for about eight years. The frigid cold nights have forced him to find refuge inside the mission. Sharing the meal with his friends Thursday made the holiday special, he said.

Miller moved to Hendersonville about 45 years ago. He was taking care of a gentleman who passed away, and after his death, Miller was left with nowhere to go. But he said he always feels welcome at the mission.

“This place here is a really wonderful place,” he said.

The Rev. Tim Jones, director of operations at the mission, said that they serve about 60,000 meals a year, but Thanksgiving is different. Instead of guests lining up to get plates of food in a rush to eat and leave, they are ushered to a seat where they are served all they can eat, encouraged to take their time and enjoy the meal.

“We're doing a little more than just serving meals” here, he told a host of volunteers before the doors opened Thursday, mentioning the cross at the front of the mission. If the volunteers started to feel stressed or overwhelmed in their service, he encouraged them to take a moment and “remember who you're representing.”

He thanked the volunteers for allowing the mission to let their staff members have the day off to be with their families.

The Brownes were happy to help. They moved to Hendersonville last December from Alabama. The family attends St. James Episcopal Church, where Jones serves as deacon.

Marla Browne, former director of a faith-based crisis center, now works for United Way in Asheville, directing the center's 211 help line. When they heard about the need for volunteers at the mission's Thanksgiving meal, her family signed up.

Marla Browne's husband, Jamey, provided live musical accompaniment for the meal this year with his friend, Jay Brown. The Brownes' children, Sam, 16, and Marie, 12, helped serve the meals and register the guests for raffle drawings of gift cards donated by local businesses.

John Jackson, home in Hendersonville on a break from his studies at Appalachian State University, and his sister, Kelly Jackson, a senior at Hendersonville High, also came to volunteer with their family. This was their first year at the mission, although their mother, Jill Jackson, said that they have wanted to help for some time.

With grandparents in other states this holiday, John Jackson said that they decided to make this part of their Thanksgiving.

Jill Jackson manned the drinks. Her husband, Mark, served the meals, and their younger son, James, helped fill the plates in the kitchen.

There is something in serving others that makes the giving part of Thanksgiving truly special, Kelly Jackson said. “It's different than the norm."

“It's better than just staying at home and sleeping in,” John Jackson said.

Placemats made by students at Mountain Community School were offered to diners as gifts of artwork to take with them.

Caroline Harris, store manager of Sweet F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God), a frozen yogurt shop which opened a few months ago on Main Street, brought 100 cups of frozen yogurt and toppings to offer the day's guests for dessert.

“We just wanted to give back to the community, and probably the people that come here don't get a chance to come try our yogurt. We wanted to give it to them so they could have it too,” she said.

<p>A year ago, Scott Wallace “made a mistake” and was arrested for driving while intoxicated. He says he's learned a hard lesson. He lost his job of five years, lost his car and then his house. He came to stay at the Hendersonville Rescue Mission about nine months ago.</p><p>He stood quietly smiling in the mission's kitchen Thursday morning, watching a host of volunteers fill plates of turkey, cranberries, yams and dressing. In the past 12 months he's lost a lot, but on Thursday he had much to praise.</p><p>There was a lot to be thankful for at the mission Thursday. The staff was thankful for volunteers, who offered to give them a day off to be with family. The volunteers were grateful for the chance to serve. And the honored guests for the day's feast gave thanks for much more: a delicious meal and a warm bed in a place of hope that offered the chance of a better tomorrow.</p><p>“A year ago… if you would have told me that I would come here and meet friends, I never would have believed you,” Wallace said. Now, he thanks God for the friends he found at the mission.</p><p>“They've been really good to me here,” he said. Wallace has worked with a caseworker to line up a new home he should be in soon.</p><p>“It's a very good atmosphere… a Christian atmosphere,” he said; a good place to be “when you have no place to go…</p><p>“There's a lot of camaraderie here and fellowship. Everybody has their own different lives, but we're all in the same boat,” he said.</p><p>It's a boat Carol Lacy found herself in for the first time almost two months ago when she made the hard decision to walk away from a troubled relationship.</p><p>She was living with her boyfriend, and the two argued constantly. “I just told him, I'd rather be homeless than to have to deal with this anymore. My mom actually looked this place up for me,” she said. “She told me I could come here. I fought it at first. But ever since I stopped fighting it, it's an awesome place. They really do help everyone so much. They will do anything to help anybody out… They went above and beyond for me.”</p><p>Lacy will start a new job Friday. She is going to school to get her CNA license and will soon move into transitional housing. There was a lot to give thanks for Thursday.</p><p>Herman Miller, originally of Horry County, S.C., has been homeless on-and-off for about eight years. The frigid cold nights have forced him to find refuge inside the mission. Sharing the meal with his friends Thursday made the holiday special, he said.</p><p>Miller moved to Hendersonville about 45 years ago. He was taking care of a gentleman who passed away, and after his death, Miller was left with nowhere to go. But he said he always feels welcome at the mission.</p><p>“This place here is a really wonderful place,” he said. </p><p>The Rev. Tim Jones, director of operations at the mission, said that they serve about 60,000 meals a year, but Thanksgiving is different. Instead of guests lining up to get plates of food in a rush to eat and leave, they are ushered to a seat where they are served all they can eat, encouraged to take their time and enjoy the meal.</p><p>“We're doing a little more than just serving meals” here, he told a host of volunteers before the doors opened Thursday, mentioning the cross at the front of the mission. If the volunteers started to feel stressed or overwhelmed in their service, he encouraged them to take a moment and “remember who you're representing.”</p><p>He thanked the volunteers for allowing the mission to let their staff members have the day off to be with their families.</p><p>The Brownes were happy to help. They moved to Hendersonville last December from Alabama. The family attends St. James Episcopal Church, where Jones serves as deacon. </p><p>Marla Browne, former director of a faith-based crisis center, now works for United Way in Asheville, directing the center's 211 help line. When they heard about the need for volunteers at the mission's Thanksgiving meal, her family signed up.</p><p>Marla Browne's husband, Jamey, provided live musical accompaniment for the meal this year with his friend, Jay Brown. The Brownes' children, Sam, 16, and Marie, 12, helped serve the meals and register the guests for raffle drawings of gift cards donated by local businesses.</p><p>John Jackson, home in Hendersonville on a break from his studies at Appalachian State University, and his sister, Kelly Jackson, a senior at Hendersonville High, also came to volunteer with their family. This was their first year at the mission, although their mother, Jill Jackson, said that they have wanted to help for some time. </p><p>With grandparents in other states this holiday, John Jackson said that they decided to make this part of their Thanksgiving. </p><p>Jill Jackson manned the drinks. Her husband, Mark, served the meals, and their younger son, James, helped fill the plates in the kitchen.</p><p>There is something in serving others that makes the giving part of Thanksgiving truly special, Kelly Jackson said. “It's different than the norm."</p><p>“It's better than just staying at home and sleeping in,” John Jackson said.</p><p>Placemats made by students at Mountain Community School were offered to diners as gifts of artwork to take with them.</p><p>Caroline Harris, store manager of Sweet F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God), a frozen yogurt shop which opened a few months ago on Main Street, brought 100 cups of frozen yogurt and toppings to offer the day's guests for dessert.</p><p>“We just wanted to give back to the community, and probably the people that come here don't get a chance to come try our yogurt. We wanted to give it to them so they could have it too,” she said.</p><p>Reach Weaver at Emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>